The pier and esplanade really date from 1861 when the pier formally opened. Construction of the pier had commenced in 1860. From 1866, a line of the Landport & Southsea Tramway ran right to the pier. The Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII) opened the pavilion in August 1882. Thereafter the pier steadily developed to accommodate more ship passengers and general tourists and holidaymakers.

Bombing damaged the pier in 1941 but restoration commenced in the 1950s after the war. Today it is a popular tourist spot with many seaside attractions for holidaymakers.

Postcards of circa 1900 show a Crimean Cannon located on the Esplanade near the HMS Victory Anchor Monument. The Anchor Monument survives but the cannon does not. It is assumed that it was lost for scrap in World War II.